


Red Hood - Anger

by Nathaniel_Quietly



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Under the Red Hood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 02:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16358828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nathaniel_Quietly/pseuds/Nathaniel_Quietly
Summary: So for those who havent heard, October is here and we at DC Animated Adventures are teaming up with Nazario Designs to giveaway the complete Batman: The Animated Series on DVD! Chris will draw a villain a day and you just write a short 400-500 word story about that character and you're entered! That simple!Lance and I decided that we wanted to play along as well, even though we're not qualified to win (as we are putting on the contest). Here's my entry for today: Jason Todd, the Red Hood! (Check outThe DCAA Facebookfor more information.)





	Red Hood - Anger

When I first chose it, I’d meant for the hood to be a condemnation. A… what’s the word? Recrimination. I was so angry. Angry at Bruce for letting me down. Angry at the Joker for killing me. Angry at my mom. 

Hell. I was born angry.

When Hush first contacted me, put me in his little chess match against Bruce, I said sure. I thought it would be a gas. A good first step on my path to revenge against everyone who’d let me down. Show up, threaten the new little bird, dash off and let Clayface take over. Sure.

That was before the hood. The Clown’s symbol, the, uh...badge of Bruce’s greatest failure. Deep down, Bruce knows the Joker is all his fault. Which means that every life that maniac takes is on his conscience. I felt like I was just another statistic, like my death didn’t weigh any heavier than the others. Which sounds terrible saying out loud, but that’s how I felt. It hurt, and that hurt made me even more resentful.

Anyway.

After that half-assed Claude Rains wannabe got taken down, I decided it was time to show my face. So to speak. I was ready to share my fury with him, make him finally choose, me or the Clown. One failure over another.

He didn’t. He did that thing he always did, gave a big speech and convinced me, in the moment, I was wrong. And maybe I was. Maybe I am. Or maybe I’m the only one who knows how to make the tough choices.

Barbara, if you’re recording this, I will put you back in that wheelchair….

I’m sorry. That was tasteless. Sometimes I talk before I think about what I’m saying. Don’t tell Dick, he’d knock my teeth out for being rude.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah. That’s when I met Kory and Roy. I’d...never had a best friend. I was a street kid, my dad got killed when I was young and stupid, and Bruce brought me in just after that. Dick was already off with the Titans, who never had time for me, you know? And Kory...this beautiful alien amazon wanted to hang out with me. I was shocked. I almost couldn’t even hit on her, I was so happy she just wanted to spend time with me. And yeah, Roy was a Titan, but he was an outsider. Like me. 

Roy… he gets it. He gets what it’s like to just, just walk around, all day, with this...fury in your gut. To just...hate everyone and everything, most of all yourself, and to have to pretend that that’s not true, that everything’s okay, really. I can be myself with Roy. It’s...I’ve never felt so normal.

Hey, Babs...listen, I am really sorry. About the crack about the chair. Cassie’s right, you’re a good listener. I guess...I guess I needed to talk more than I thought I did. 

Can I call you next week?


End file.
